The invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring parameters, and has particular applicability to the production of shoe inserts and the like.
The term "inserts" is to be understood here as a generic term for technical objects which are brought into force-locking and/or form-locking union with parts of the human body. A typical example are orthopedic inserts or insoles which are to be adapted to the foot of a patient, and also, of course, of healthy persons. Also involved is seating or lounging furniture which is to be adapted to the respective body parts of the user. Also it means prostheses or ortheses which are to he adapted to the stump of a limb. Further the invention also involves the adaptation of dental prostheses (full prostheses as well as single teeth or crowns) which are to be adapted, especially taking into consideration the movement geometry of the chewing apparatus, to the opposite (natural or likewise artificial) teeth.
In making orthopedic inserts (and also e.g. prostheses or corsets) present practice is to perform a (three-dimensional) survey of the forms to be adapted or to be corrected. This survey can take place through impressions in thermosetting compounds or by direct (optical) surveying. In any case, therefore, one proceeds practically exclusively from three-dimensional contours, and moreover generally in the unstressed state of the respective body part.
It has now been found that inserts, prostheses or also seating or lounging furniture made on the basis of these surveys are often felt by the user to be unpleasant, annoying, etc. Moreover, the correction results are not optimal. Lastly, in particular in the case of inserts/insoles, the problem exists that in many points the orthopedic shoemaker works "on intuition", so that the inserts made by him are not readily to be manufactured on the basis of purely objective test data. When making dental prostheses the procedure is still more inaccurate, again simply a direct survey of the three-dimensional contours taking place, namely by way of impressions in plastic compounds and subsequent grinding down of "pressure spots" which appear on the dental prosthesis when biting on dyed paper.